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I've given away a lot of e-copies of Ferryman, but never a print copy (well, not on this level). The sad thing is, while an e-book is easy to give because it costs you nothing to distribute (maybe 4 cents in some cases?), a lot of people still love print books, and why not? The … Continue reading Enter to Win a Free Print Copy of Ferryman

I'm tired of being selfish. If you ask my why I write, blog, or jump on social media, the answer is probably something along the lines of "I dunno." Instinct. Lovely when channeled, deadly when it runs amok. Like oil in your car vs. oil in the bay. And I've been letting instinct muddy my … Continue reading What does “Fencing With Ink” Mean for YOU?

Blood soaked the carpet, surrounding Rune like a blossoming rose. What he thought would have been the killing blow by Hastings simply put him in a state of misery he had never experienced before. His skull ached as if it were being tightened in a vice, and the rest of his broken form cried out in echoes of pain that mimicked the agonizing cries of a banshee.

He didn’t have to guess that his wounds might be fatal by this point. And even if they weren’t, he knew Hastings would finish the job once he was finished cleaning up his wounded face. But the fact that Rune might be at the end of his days did little to convince him to give up just yet.

Not until she was safe.

Footsteps echoed across the foyer tile. When Hastings reached the living room carpet and knelt, the overwhelming scent of musk…

I’m taking a deep breath and am going to be real with you. This is a hard topic for me.

Over the course of a failed marriage, church falling outs, parenting issues, career changes and a whole gamut of unexpected life obstacles, I’ve tasted the joy and healing of healthy friendships – I’ve equally swallowed the searing sting of painful ones.

This blog comes from both a painful and joyful place.

But before I offer you words of wisdom in the friendship department, let me set the stage for my perspective.

I am a former pastor. I’ve listened to countless stories of people’s hurts in this area. I’ve written a book on forgiveness.

I’ve been through divorce. I’ve been kicked out of a church. I’ve experienced abuse. I’ve been gossiped about, betrayed – I’ve been judged, outcasted, un-friended, etc. simply because I took a stand for what I believed…

Story: Dark, bold, adult-ish. Charlie Ferris is capable of taking life with a single touch. In this world, they live side by side with Olympus and all of the Greek mythological beings, who do not condone this power, including making a living from it. But when evil, underworld creatures threaten to destroy both Olympus, and the mainstream world, they must work together to destroy the “tarlings” and their creator.

What Worked: “I am on my way to kill a man, but I am not murdering him.” That is the first line of the book. BOOM! It stuck with me the entire novella. The book is short and he makes every sentence count. Very impactful. The book is a perfectly blended creation of Mythology (Greek) and Traditional Superhero.

There’s always a love story, right? As a lover of love and all things…

I was in graduate school when I first heard the term “millennial.” It was at a conference. The session was about how to serve millennial students, because they have different characteristics than the Generation X students that went before them. It was here that I first started hearing things like “millennials need to be recognized for participation,” “millennials feel they are special,” “millennials are sheltered,” “millennials are likely to have helicopter parents,” and more. Society as a whole loves to hate on the millennial generation (those born between 1980-1999), calling us “special snowflakes” and sarcastically referring to us as “social justice warriors,” calling us out for “being offended by everything” and, everybody’s favorite, pointing out how very entitled we are.

Here’s the secret: We’re not.

The negative opinions directed at millennials are a perfect example, on an enormous societal scale, of cultural gaslighting.

What’s Gaslighting?

Thanks for visiting my blog. Normally, I publish about twice a week, three if I'm feeling tingly. However, it's November, which is National Novel Writing Month, where writers try to write 50000 words in 30 days (about 100 MS Word pages). For the first time, I'm actually going to participate. So, this blog is going … Continue reading Fencing With Ink is AWOL for NaNoWriMo